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Related Concept Videos

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex01:14

Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex

The cerebral cortex, the brain's outermost layer, is pivotal in processing complex cognitive tasks, emotions, and various sensory inputs and executing voluntary motor activities. This intricate structure is divided into three primary functional areas: the motor areas, sensory areas, and association areas.
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex.
Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex01:23

Somatosensory, Motor, and Association Cortex

The somatosensory cortex in the parietal lobes is crucial for interpreting sensory data such as touch, temperature, and proprioception. The somatosensory cortex, situated in the parietal lobes, plays a vital role in interpreting sensory information like touch, temperature, and proprioception—awareness of body position. This specialized brain region features an organized structure wherein neurons at the top primarily process sensations originating from the lower body. In contrast, those at the...
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
Somatosensation01:33

Somatosensation

The somatosensory system relays sensory information from the skin, mucous membranes, limbs, and joints. Somatosensation is more familiarly known as the sense of touch. A typical somatosensory pathway includes three types of long neurons: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Primary neurons have cell bodies located near the spinal cord in groups of neurons called dorsal root ganglia. The sensory neurons of ganglia innervate designated areas of skin called dermatomes.
Hierarchy of Motor Control01:18

Hierarchy of Motor Control

The hierarchy of motor control refers to the different levels of organization and processing involved in controlling movement in the body. These levels range from higher cortical areas involved in planning and decision-making to lower spinal cord reflexes that respond automatically to external stimuli.
Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
13:12

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping

Published on: August 12, 2019

Behavioral and cortical mechanisms for spatial coding and action planning.

W Pieter Medendorp1, Sabine M Beurze, Stan Van Pelt

  • 1Nijmegen Institute for Cognition and Information, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. p.medendorp@nici.ru.nl

Cortex; a Journal Devoted to the Study of the Nervous System and Behavior
|April 5, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Human spatial maps update dynamically during movement, integrating visual and motor signals. This research explores geometric constraints and brain regions involved in action planning.

More Related Videos

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Translational Brain Mapping at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Preserving the Mind Through Personalized Brain Mapping
13:12

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Published on: August 12, 2019

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation
12:33

Corticospinal Excitability Modulation During Action Observation

Published on: December 31, 2013

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Science
  • Human Motor Control

Background:

  • Action encoding in visual space relies on dynamic, gaze-centered maps.
  • Each eye movement necessitates updating these spatial representations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate geometric constraints on spatial map updating during whole-body motion.
  • To analyze the integration of spatial and motor signals for action command generation.
  • To identify the roles of the posterior parietal cortex and dorsal premotor cortex in these processes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of experimental results from human subjects.
  • Analysis of spatial signal integration with motor effector signals.
  • Discussion of neuroimaging experiments.

Main Results:

  • Experimental data tested geometric constraints on dynamic spatial map updating during locomotion.
  • New analyses explored the integration of spatial and motor signals for action generation.
  • Neuroimaging findings implicate specific brain regions in spatial-motor integration.

Conclusions:

  • Dynamic, gaze-centered spatial maps are crucial for action encoding.
  • Geometric constraints influence spatial map updating during movement.
  • The posterior parietal cortex and dorsal premotor cortex are key areas for spatial-motor integration and action planning.